1. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#1) [=] [2^nd Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back (3^rd of 5 Weeks At #1)

Biggest DRRRRRRROP!!! Of The Week: Liam Payne featuring J. Balvin – Familiar (–15)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Hundred Handed – Too Good (+18)

New Entrants
– Hailee Steinfeld left the countdown last week when Let Me Go made its departure. It was the first time that a song from her was not on the countdown, meaning that her almost two-year run came to an end. But one week off the countdown was too much in Hits 1’s eyes, as they seem to be fond of Hailee Steinfeld for sometime, what with songs such as Starving and Let Me Go having successful runs on this countdown. While she doesn’t seem to have any solo music coming anytime soon, she is collaborating with MNEK in his single titled Colour. The last time we saw MNEK was when he was collaborating with Zara Larsson in Never Forget You, which was a huge favorite among the blogging community and YouTube critics alike, and mine as well. But sadly, we would never hear from those two rising artists since that song became a hit. Zara Larsson released a few singles but never really had another hit, while MNEK himself was virtually non-existent for most of last year. Fast forward to today, and he’s back at making music. Now, onto the song. Colour basically talks about a relationship in which before someone came along and helped them saw colors all around, everything around him/her was black and white. I think what it means is that things were boring before someone came and made everything fun to that someone. There’s quite a lot I like about this. First off, MNEK does well with his vocals. I do like how he can hit the high notes in the chorus. Hailee Steinfeld shines throughout the song as well. Yeah, it’s a great collaboration between the two artists.

– Look, I may not be the biggest fan of Post Malone in terms of his music. But I’ll go ahead and admit that he does have some good music. Songs such as Candy Paint are one of the best off of his latest album and I do hope that it’s released as a single soon. Right now, he has his second song making its debut on the countdown with Better Now. When I first talked about Havana when it first came around, I initially didn’t like that song in large part because I was simply getting tired of Camila Cabello and I was not looking forward to any new music from her at that time. The same can be said for Post Malone. If you’ve been following my blog, then I’m sure you probably know by now that I simply had a strong disliking towards his music, mainly because it sounded like some of the generic hip-hop/trap songs that have no meaning whatsoever, which is why my opinions on Congratulations, Rockstar and Psycho are negative. But after hearing Better Now, I feel like he’s improving just a little bit. Sure, I’m not too big on the production. But in terms of his vocals, he sounds a little more energetic, especially when he sings the chorus. I’m still mixed on the song right now, but it’s possible that I may find this decent.

– We have a newcomer making her very first debut on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. Madison Beer has a song titled Home With You from her EP, As She Pleases. I won’t really go in detail about this one as not very much is known about Madison Beer. I do like pretty much everything about this. Madison shows that she does have good vocals throughout the song. The production here isn’t necessarily the best, but it’s decent enough to make it listenable. Looking at the lyrical content of the song, it basically is her telling someone that she does not want to go home with them and that she wants them to respect her. Overall, it’s a good first impression for the most part.

– Finally, we have the return of TWENTY ØNE PILØTS! These two guys (John Dun and Tyler Joseph) have dominated 2016 with songs such as Stressed Out, Ride, and Heathens becoming huge hits. Here on Hits 1, they had the #1 song of 2016 with Stressed Out. That one is a huge favorite of mine and it’ll always hold a special place in my heart, mainly because that song is something that everyone can relate to. Their success pretty much fizzled out in 2017 after Heavydirtysoul sadly didn’t take off, in large part because by that point, everyone had gotten tired of them. Some were wondering what do they have next as they waited for about a year or so to hear any new music from them. This week, they make their comeback with a brand new single, which is titled Jumpsuit. It has strong rock vibes that get me going. Their singles from Blurryface were a little more pop-friendly. But in Jumpsuit, they decided to lean towards heavy rock. We get some nice vocals from Tyler, and towards the end after the bridge we hear him yelling in the chorus as the production starts kicking in. Simply put, this is a great comeback single for TWENTY ØNE PILØTS overall. They had also released another new song called Nico And The Niners. That one I like as well. But I’m really enjoying Jumpsuit right now. It’ll be interesting to see how well it does on the countdown.

Best Debut Of The Week: TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Jumpsuit

Blurbsuit, Blurbsuit, Cover Me
– We’ll begin with our exits as always. First off, the departure of Him & I was expected. It had quite a nice run here. I didn’t really care that much for Fake Friends. I am saddened by the exit from These Days. I feel like that one deserved better than what it got. Finally, New Rules has left us for the second time (this time for good). It was nice having this song around while it lasted. Although it didn’t have the success here on Hits 1, it was bigger elsewhere and Dua Lipa got a huge hit. New Rules will be missed by me.

– We had quite a few big drops this week. The big drops from Rich and I Like Me Better are pleasing to see. However, I’m not thrilled about the big drop from Familiar. Looks like that one won’t be sticking around after all.

– We also had a big drop from Done For Me. It’s sad to see that this song is basically done elsewhere. I was hoping that one would become a bigger hit than it is. But I guess not.

– Too Good took a rather surprising jump all the way close to the Top 20 this week. It’s definitely an enjoyable song with some groovy throwback vibes, I would like for the song to go higher.

– Before introducing Let You Me Right, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Meghan Trainor is planning on having a winter wedding. Oh, boy. I wonder where will she be planning on going? The North Pole, perhaps?

– Before introducing On The Loose, Spyder Harrison mentioned that Niall Horan would stop any performance at a concert if somebody were to get hurt. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t want anything to happen to anybody because he loves his fan base. It’s nice that there’s someone who will do anything for his fans.

– Along with Too Good, we also had some big jumps from last week’s debuts. The Last Of The Real Ones and Don’t Go Breaking My Heart made their way into the Top 20. I enjoy these songs very much, so they’re definitely welcome in that region.

– Honesty, I think I may be the only person here that still really likes The Middle, even though it’s been in the Top 5 for seemingly forever.

– So, High Hopes swapped places with Say Amen (Saturday Night) to enter the Top 5. I’m pretty certain this will be #1 at some point in time. I’ll be waiting.

– On that note, In My Blood holds the #1 spot this week, which means that it’s the first time (I believe) that the same artist that had the #1 this week one year ago hits #1 today. Shawn Mendes is one of the few artists to do this, so congrats to him!

Hit-Bound:

• Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
• Charlie Puth – The Way I Am (DEBUT)
• Brown & Gray – Top Down
• Imagine Dragons – Natural (DEBUT)
• Dennis Lloyd – Nevermind
• Big Boi – All Night
• The Chainsmokers featuring Drew Love – Somebody
• lovelytheband – Broken
• Julia Michaels featuring Trippie Redd – Jump
• Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (DEBUT)
• Train featuring Cam and Travie McCoy – Call Me Sir
• Justin Timberlake – SoulMate
• Dan + Shay – Tequila
• Years & Years – If You’re Over Me (DEBUT)
• BTS – Fake Love

– Now with Done For Me being done elsewhere, Charlie Puth has another new single from Voicenotes, by the name of The Way I Am. Once again, Charlie Puth does well with the production and the vocals overall. I do like the lyrics. I’ll have more about this when it inevitably debuts.

– Imagine Dragons have just recently released a new single titled Natural. Right off the bat, it’s a enjoyable song. Dan Reynolds shows off his vocals a little more. I’ll talk more about this if it debuts.

– Up next, we have Ariana Grande with her new single titled God Is A Woman, from her upcoming album Sweetener. This song is just amazing. I’ll simply leave it at that.

– Finally, we have Years & Years with a new single titled If You’re Over Me. Not too much I can say about this one. The vocals are enjoyable and I kinda like the production. We’ll see if it debuts.

My Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman
2. Dan + Shay – Tequila
3. Brown & Gray – Top Down
4. Bebe Rexha – I’m A Mess
5. Charlie Puth – The Way I Am 

Top 20 Review:
0 – Putrid:
20. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends

1 – Bad:
19. Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny and J. Balvin – I Like It

2 – Mediocre:
None!

3 – Decent:
18. Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B. – Girls Like You 

4 – Good:
17. NOTD featuring Bea Miller – I Wanna Know

5 – Great:
16. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me 
15. Niall Horan – On The Loose
14. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood
13. Taylor Swift – Delicate
12. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
11. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
10. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
9. Selena Gomez – Back To You
8. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
7. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
6. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
5. Meghan Trainor – Let You Be Right
4. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle
3. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
2. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss

Overall Grade: 89/100 = 89% (B+)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Linkin Park – In The End (2001) (One year since Chester Bennington passed)

Most Missed Countdown Song: Ed Sheeran – Don’t

Most Missed Hit-Bound Dropout: Sia – Elastic Heart

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui – Strangers

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#5)

My Top 5 Picks
TIE: 1. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Jumpsuit
TIE: 1. Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa – One Kiss
3. Backstreet Boys – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
4. The Wrecks – James Dean
5. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry

My Bottom 5 Picks
1. Lauv – I Like Me Better
2. Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie – Friends
3. Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign – Psycho
4. Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
5. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same

Songs That Debuted This Week One Year Ago:
All Time Low – Good Times: The band has some memorable songs that I like. Sure, the premise for this one is good, but not quite something I can enjoy in the big picture.
Fall Out Boy – Champion: A step up from a disaster that was Young And Menance. This song definitely reminded me of the Fall Out Boy we know and love.
DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts: One of DJ Khaled’s best of last year. I love the electric guitar solo after the chorus. And I should mention that the song uses a sample from Maria Maria, which I hated.

QOTW: What is your favorite guilty pleasure song and why?